U.S. patent application number 11/479366 was filed with the patent office on 2008-01-03 for system and method for identifying digital media content and downloading the content or a portion thereof to a mobile device.
This patent application is currently assigned to Rothschild Trust Holdings, LLC. Invention is credited to Leigh M. Rothschild.
Application Number | 20080004978 11/479366 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38877865 |
Filed Date | 2008-01-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080004978 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rothschild; Leigh M. |
January 3, 2008 |
System and method for identifying digital media content and
downloading the content or a portion thereof to a mobile device
Abstract
A system and method are provided for identifying an article of
commerce, e.g., digital media content, and downloading all or part
of content related to the article of commerce to mobile devices
such as portable digital media players and/or mobile phone devices.
The present disclosure will enable a user to find an existing
digital entertainment product of interest such as but not limited
to a music CD, music DVD, electronic game, text (such as a book,)
or a movie/television DVD, to identify that product and then to
transfer full or selected content, or associated content, to a
mobile device, e.g., a portable digital media player and/or a
mobile phone device. The system and method of the present
disclosure will provide on the spot delivery of the exact content
identified by the user, or a portion thereof, on the user's
portable digital device(s).
Inventors: |
Rothschild; Leigh M.;
(Plantation, FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CASELLA & HESPOS
274 MADISON AVENUE
NEW YORK
NY
10016
US
|
Assignee: |
Rothschild Trust Holdings,
LLC
Sunny Isles Beach
FL
|
Family ID: |
38877865 |
Appl. No.: |
11/479366 |
Filed: |
June 30, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/26.8 ;
705/27.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0633 20130101;
G06Q 30/00 20130101; G06Q 30/0641 20130101; G06Q 30/0625
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/26 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20060101
G06Q030/00 |
Claims
1. A method for delivering media content to at least one device
over a network, the method comprising the steps: identifying an
article of commerce and acquiring an identification code of the
article by the at least one device; transmitting the identification
code of the article to a server; determining at least one available
content related to the article based on the identification code of
the article; transmitting a listing of the at least one available
content to the at least one device; and selecting at least one of
the at least one available content.
2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising purchasing the at
least one available content via a user interface of the at least
one device.
3. The method as in claim 1, further comprising transmitting the
selected at least one available content to the at least one
device.
4. The method as in claim 3, wherein the at least one device is a
portable media player device or mobile phone.
5. The method as in claim 1, further comprising transmitting the
selected at least one available content to at least one second
device.
6. The method as in claim 5, wherein the at least one second device
is a computer coupled to the network.
7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one available
content is a ring tone, a game, video content, audio content,
multimedia content or text.
8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the selecting step further
comprises selecting a portion of the at least one available
content.
9. The method as in claim 8, wherein the portion of the at least
one available content is an individual song, a television episode,
chapter of a movie, chapter of a book or an article of a
magazine.
10. The method as in claim 1, further comprising presenting on the
at least one device a list of purchase prices from a plurality of
vendors for the selected at least one available content.
11. The method as in claim 10, further comprising selecting one of
the plurality of vendors, purchasing the selected at least one
available content from the at least one device and transmitting the
selected at least one available content to the at least one
device.
12. The method as in claim 1, further comprising transmitting a
device type identification code to the server and determining at
least one available content related to the article based on the
identification code of the article and the device type
identification code.
13. The method as in claim 12, wherein the device type
identification code indicates a mobile phone and the at least one
available content is a ring tone, a game, video content, audio
content, multimedia content or text.
14. The method as in claim 12, wherein the device type
identification code indicates a portable media player device and
the at least one available content is a game, video content, audio
content, multimedia content or text.
15. The method as in claim 1, wherein the article of commerce is a
music CD, Music DVD, film DVD or television DVD and the at least
one available content is a ring tone.
16. The method as in claim 1, wherein the article of commerce is
printed matter and the at least one available content is text.
17. The method as in claim 1, wherein the acquiring an
identification code of the article includes scanning a barcode
disposed on the article.
18. The method as in claim 1, further comprising the steps:
broadcasting at least one identification code of at least one
article; and the acquiring step further includes wirelessly
receiving the at least one identification code on the at least one
device.
19. The method as in claim 18, wherein the at least one
identification code is broadcast by a mobile device.
20. The method as in claim 18, wherein the at least one
identification code is broadcast by a wireless access point over a
predetermined range.
21. A system for delivering media content to at least one device
over a network, the system comprising: at least one device for
playing content configured to acquire an identification code of an
article of commerce and to transmit the identification code to a
server; and the server configured for receiving the identification
code, determining at least one available content related to the
article based on the identification code of the article, and
transmitting a listing of the at least one available content to the
at least one device; wherein the at least one device further
includes a user interface configured for selecting at least one of
the at least one available content.
22. The system as in claim 21, wherein the at least one device is
further configured to purchase the at least one available content
via the user interface.
23. The system as in claim 21, wherein the server is further
configured for transmitting the selected at least one available
content to the at least one device.
24. The system as in claim 23, wherein the at least one device is a
portable media player device or mobile phone.
25. The system as in claim 21, wherein the server is further
configured for transmitting the selected at least one available
content to at least one second device.
26. The system as in claim 25, wherein the at least one second
device is a computer coupled to the network.
27. The system as in claim 21, wherein the at least one available
content is a ring tone, a game, video content, audio content,
multimedia content or text.
28. The system as in claim 21, wherein the at least one device is
configured for selecting a portion of the at least one available
content.
29. The system as in claim 28, wherein the portion of the at least
one available content is an individual song, a television episode,
chapter of a movie, chapter of a book or an article of a
magazine.
30. The system as in claim 21, wherein the server is configured to
determine a list of purchase prices from a plurality of vendors for
the selected at least one available content and transmit the list
of purchase prices to the at least one device.
31. The system as in claim 30, wherein the at least one device is
configured for selecting one of the plurality of vendors,
purchasing the at least one available content and the server is
configured for transmitting the selected at least one available
content to the at least one device.
32. The system as in claim 30, wherein the at least one device is
configured for selecting one of the plurality of vendors,
purchasing the at least one available content and the server is
configured for transmitting the selected at least one available
content to at least one second device.
33. The system as in claim 21, wherein the at least one device is
configured for transmitting a device type identification code to
the server and the server is configured for determining at least
one available content related to the article based on the
identification code of the article and the device type
identification code.
34. The system as in claim 33, wherein the device type
identification code indicates a mobile phone and the at least one
available content is a ring tone, a game, video content, audio
content, multimedia content or text.
35. The system as in claim 33, wherein the device type
identification code indicates a portable media player device and
the at least one available content is a game, video content, audio
content, multimedia content or text.
36. The system as in claim 21, wherein the article of commerce is a
music CD, Music DVD, film DVD or television DVD and the at least
one available content is a ring tone.
37. The system as in claim 21, wherein the article of commerce is
printed matter and the at least one available content is text.
38. The system as in claim 21, wherein the at least one device
further comprises a scanning module configured for scanning a
barcode disposed on the article to acquire the identification code
of the article.
39. The system as in claim 21, further comprising a transmitter
configured for broadcasting at least one identification code of at
least one article and the at least one device being configured to
wirelessly receive the at least one identification code.
40. The system as in claim 39, wherein the at least one
identification code is broadcast by a mobile device.
41. The system as in claim 39, wherein the at least one
identification code is broadcast by a wireless access point over a
predetermined range.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to digital media
content systems, and more particularly, to devices, systems and
methods for identifying an article of commerce, e.g., digital media
content, and downloading all or part of content related to the
article of commerce to mobile devices such as portable digital
media players and/or mobile phone devices.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Portable digital devices are now common. Examples include
the various Windows.TM. Pocket PC devices which have an operating
system created by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. Other
devices include various mobile phone devices including many that
have built-in camera imaging devices. Still other portable digital
devices include portable media players from Creative Media of
Singapore, Samsung of South Korea, Archos, Inc. of Irvine, Calif.
and Apple Computers, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Additionally, Sony
of New York and Japan manufacture a portable game playing device
called the Sony PSP.TM. (PlayStation Portable).
[0005] Increasingly, many of these portable media devices include a
means of transmitting and receiving digital content. Various
communications technologies are frequently built into these
devices. Examples of portable communicating devices include mobile
phones which employ GSM, CDMA, W-CDMA, and FOMA technology, among
other standards, to send and receive data in addition to handling
voice communications. Many of the portable media devices also
include transmission capabilities including WiFi (IEEE 802.11a, b,
g and x among others), Bluetooth, infrared, etc. to allow the user
to transmit and receive digital content. The Sony PSP.TM. device,
by example, includes WiFi (i.e., IEEE 802.11b) to transmit and
receive digital data.
[0006] In this age of `instant gratification and information`, a
need exists for a system and method to allow a consumer to identify
digital content at a location for this content (such as a retail
store) and to immediately download this content into the user's
mobile device, e.g., a portable media player device or mobile
phone.
SUMMARY
[0007] A system and method are provided for identifying an article
of commerce, e.g., digital media content, and downloading all or
part of content related to the article of commerce to mobile
devices such as portable digital media players and/or mobile phone
devices. The present disclosure will enable a user to find an
existing digital entertainment product of interest such as but not
limited to a music CD, music DVD, electronic game, text (such as a
book,) or a movie/television DVD, to identify that product and then
to transfer full or selected content, or associated content, to a
mobile device, e.g., a portable digital media player and/or a
mobile phone device. The system and method of the present
disclosure will provide on the spot delivery of the exact content
identified by the user, or a portion thereof, on the user's
portable digital device(s).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the
present disclosure will become more apparent in light of the
following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0009] FIG. 1A is front view of a device for playing media content
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0010] FIG. 1B is a rear view of a device for playing media
content;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of various modules included in the
device illustrated in FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates a system for delivering media content to
a user; and
[0013] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for
delivering media content to a user according to an embodiment of
the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be
described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following description, well-known functions or constructions
are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present
disclosure in unnecessary detail.
[0015] A device, system and method for delivering media content to
a user are provided. The system and method allow a user to identify
digital content at a location for this content (such as a retail
store) and to immediately download this content into the user's
portable media device or cellular/mobile phone. This will provide
the user with not only instant delivery, but a seamless way of
obtaining the content (as opposed to manually loading the content),
and in many cases a better economic model to obtain the content.
The system and method will enable the user to compare the price of
the content at the source (e.g., a retail store) and to instantly
receive the content from an Internet source or sources. Further,
the user may custom select the content that he desires and, instead
of obtaining all content, the user may decide to purchase less of
the content (e.g., a content subset) therefore customizing his
selection, and reducing his/her price for the content.
[0016] In operation of the system and method of the present
disclosure, a user locates an article of commerce such as a book,
video or audio DVD, audio CD, electronic game, etc. The user
utilizes a portable digital device, e.g., a mobile phone, to
identify the article of commerce. Several technology solutions are
provided to allow the article to be identified by a user, e.g., a
device containing a CCD device (e.g., a camera) where the user will
take a picture of a barcode on the article of commerce; a device
containing a user interface allowing user keyboard input where the
user will input the name of the item into the portable device; the
user may speak the name of the article of commerce into the
portable device where the device contains voice recognition
software, etc. In a further embodiment, the articles of commerce
will contain Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags wherein
these tags identify the article of commerce to a reader device.
Furthermore, if the device contains a CCD device (e.g., a camera),
the user can also take a picture of the article of commerce and
using standard and existing computer processing power and software
solutions such as image recognition software, or optical character
recognition software, the image or name of the article of commerce
is decoded and the identity of the article of commerce is
resolved.
[0017] Once the article of commerce is identified, the portable
device will use communications protocols including but not limited
to WiFi (a, b, c d, n, x), cellular communications such as GSM,
CDMA, FOMA, etc., infrared communications, cabled communications,
Bluetooth communications, satellite communications, etc., to
transmit this identification information to a remote server on the
global computer network (GCN), e.g., the Internet. The user will
also transmit information identifying the user submitting the
request. The server will then use standard computer processing
power and standard data look up software to see if it has
information, e.g., content, on the article of commerce. The server
will use standard communications protocols to transmit information
back to the portable digital device. The user will now be informed
(by the server) what content or parts of content for the selected
article of commerce is available for download. The user will also
be informed of the price of this download, and the user will be
informed where the download will be sent to.
[0018] If the user wants to purchase this download, the user will
now use the user interface that is built into his portable digital
device including but not limited to character input, voice input,
etc. to select the desired content. This information will then be
transmitted to the server. The server will use standard computer
processing power and e-commerce software to commence a transaction.
Once (and if) the transaction is approved, the server will transmit
the digital content to the address that the user has provided,
e.g., the device used to conduct the transaction or another digital
device such as a user's local computer. Alternatively, the user
will select the desired content to preview the content at no cost
to the user. The preview view of the content may be a portion of
the selected content or the complete selection. If a portion is
transmitted to the device, the user may purchase the complete
selection after previewing the portion. Furthermore, the complete
selection may be transferred to the user where only a portion is
available for preview and the remainder of the selection is
available after purchase, e.g., by the server providing a key after
purchase. In another embodiment of this disclosure, the server may
not have stored the digital content, but it may cause another site
on the global computer network where the subject digital content is
stored, to transmit the content to the user at the address
provided.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 1A, a portable media playback device 100
for receiving and playing various types of digital media content,
e.g., audio, video, images, games, text, multimedia content, etc.,
in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is
illustrated. The media device 100 includes various electrical
components, which will be described in detail below, disposed in a
generally rectangular housing 102. A display module 104 is provided
for displaying video and image media content, such as movies,
animations, etc. and a speaker 116 is provided configured to
produce audio, e.g., music or a soundtrack associated with a video.
An audio port 118 will be configured to receive a plug or connector
from a headphone, stereo system, etc. to stream the audio to the
connected device. It is to be appreciated that when an external
device is connected to the audio port 118 the speaker 116 will be
disabled. Input module 106 includes a plurality of buttons 108 for
inputting data and navigating through a plurality of menus. A touch
screen overlaid upon the display module 104 may also be coupled to
the input module for facilitating user input. The media device 100
further includes a storage module 110 for storing a plurality of
content and a transmission module 112 for transmitting/receiving
data and/or content to another device, e.g., a personal computer, a
personal digital assistant (PDA), a server residing on the
Internet, etc. Optionally, the media device 100 may include a
microphone 114 for acquiring audio from the user of the device to
input data.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 2, the various components of the device
100 will now be described. The device will contain a computer
processing module 120, e.g., a microprocessor. The computer
processing module 120 will use computer software instructions that
have been programmed into the module and conventional computer
processing power to interact and organize the traffic flow between
the various other modules. It is to be understood that the present
disclosure may be implemented in various forms of hardware,
software, firmware, special purpose processors, or a combination
thereof. A system bus 121 couples the various components shown in
FIG. 2 and may be any of several types of bus structures including
a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local
bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The device also
includes an operating system and micro instruction code preferably
residing in read only memory (ROM) (not shown). The various
processes and functions described herein may either be part of the
micro instruction code or part of an application program (or a
combination thereof) which is executed via the operating system.
Exemplary operating systems include but are limited to SymbianOS,
Windows Mobile/Windows CE, Palm OS, Linux, Blackberry OS, BREW,
etc. which have been developed for mobile computing applications
and can handle both data computing and communication applications,
e.g., voice communications.
[0021] It is to be further understood that because some of the
constituent device components and method steps depicted in the
accompanying figures may be implemented in software, the actual
connections between the device components (or the process steps)
may differ depending upon the manner in which the present
disclosure is programmed. Given the teachings of the present
disclosure provided herein, one of ordinary skill in the related
art will be able to contemplate these and similar implementations
or configurations of the present disclosure.
[0022] The computer processing module 120 may further include, in
addition to a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP) for
decoding stored audio, video and photo files to be played on the
media device 100. As is known in the art, the DSP may include
several known decompression algorithms for decompressing stored
media content, e.g., a MP3 file. The device 100 of the present
disclosure will support various file types including but not
limited to Microsoft Windows Media Video files (.wmv), Microsoft
Photo Story files (.asf), Microsoft Windows Media Audio files
(.wma), MP3 audio files (.mp3), JPEG image files (.jpg, jpeg, .jpe,
.jfif), MPEG movie files (.mpeg, mpg, .mpe, .m1v, .mp2v .mpeg2),
Microsoft Recorded TV Show files (.dvr-ms), Microsoft Windows Video
files (.avi) and Microsoft Windows Audio files (.wav).
[0023] The device 100 will also contain a display module 104 for
displaying digital information such as video files, image files,
text files, etc. This display may be in any current form in the
art, including Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD), Light emitting diode
displays (LED), Cathode Ray Tube Displays (CRT) or any other type
of display currently existing or existing in the future. The
display module 104 may also include an audio output device, e.g., a
speaker 116, audio port 118, etc., allowing the user to also hear
audio output from the device 100, e.g., audio associated with a
video, a MP3 file, etc.
[0024] The device 100 of the present disclosure will contain a user
input module 106 to either receive user instructions via text input
by the way of buttons 108, a standard keyboard interface coupled to
the device, or a character recognition capture device which
translates user text input into alphanumeric characters.
Preferably, the character recognition device is a touch screen
which overlays the display module 104 and text is entered via a
pen-like stylus. Such input devices are standard and currently
available on many electronic devices including portable digital
assistants (PDAs) and cellular telephones. Optionally, microphone
114 may be further coupled to the input module 106 for capturing
any audio information spoken by the user and the input module will
further include an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter for converting
the spoken audio information into a digital format. Furthermore,
the input module may include a voice recognition processor that
translates the digital human voice into alpha numeric characters
for user input. The user will utilize the user input module 106 to
enter various data, for example, to enter payment information, to
initiate communication with a remote server, to flag desired
content to be downloaded, to request an initial selection of media
content to be downloaded, etc.
[0025] The storage module 110 includes internal storage memory,
e.g., random access memory (RAM), or removable memory such as
magnetic storage memory; optical storage memory, e.g., the various
known types of CD and DVD media; solid-state storage memory, e.g.,
a CompactFlash card, a Memory Stick, SmartMedia card,
MultiMediaCard (MMC), SD (Secure Digital) memory; or any other
memory storage that exists currently or will exist in the
future.
[0026] The transmission module 112 will enable the device 100 to
transmit or transfer information to other computing devices and to
receive information from other computing devices, e.g., digital
media files, codes to unlock downloaded media,
encryption/decryption keys, etc. The transmission module 112 will
perform its functionality by hardwired and/or wireless
connectivity. The hardwire connection may include but is not
limited to hard wire cabling e.g., parallel or serial cables, USB
cable, Firewire (1394 connectivity) cables, and the appropriate
port. The wireless connection will operate under any of the various
known wireless protocols including but not limited to Bluetooth.TM.
interconnectivity, infrared connectivity, radio transmission
connectivity including computer digital signal broadcasting and
reception commonly referred to as Wi-Fi or 802.11.X (where x
denotes the type of transmission), satellite transmission or any
other type of communication protocols or systems currently existing
or to be developed for wirelessly transmitting data. The
transmission module will compress and encode the encrypted
information for transmission using any known wireless communication
technology. In one embodiment, antenna ANT is coupled to the
transmission module 112 for extending the wireless transmission
range of the device 100.
[0027] A capture module 122 is provided to capture an image desired
by the user in digital form, e.g., an image of an article of
commerce, a barcode, etc. The capture module 122 includes an image
sensor, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and a digital signal
processor (DSP). Referring to FIG. 1B when a user desires to
capture an image, a lens 137 disposed on a rear side of the device
is aimed at a subject of the image and is used in conjunction with
display module 104 for positioning a subject of the image in lieu
of a viewfinder. Light is allowed to enter through the lens 137 and
shine on the image sensor, e.g., a charge-coupled device (CCD) or
complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The image sensor
includes preferably millions of photosensors, e.g., pixels, wherein
each pixel absorbs the light and transforms the light into an
electric charge proportional to the intensity of light. Each charge
is transmitted to an A/D converter where the charge is converted
into a digital value representing the color the pixel will be,
e.g., representing different intensities of red, green and blue.
The digital values are then passed to the digital signal processor
which enhances the image, compresses it and then stores it in a
digital file format in the storage module 110.
[0028] In other embodiments, the device 100 will further include an
integrated scanning module 124 for scanning a symbology on an
article of commerce. The scanning module 124 will contain a light
source, e.g., LED, and photocell coupled to the computer processing
module 120, or alternatively, will includes a separate decoder
engine that will decode the data received by the photocell before
sending it to the computer processing module 120. Knowledge of the
art reveals that many different types of scanners currently exist
and the inventor realizes that the type of scanner would depend
upon the type of symbology that is utilized in the printed images.
The symbology may be in any form currently practiced in the art
including barcodes (e.g., UPC, EAN, PDF417, etc.), photosymbols,
standard or specialized text, etc., or any future type of
symbology.
[0029] It is to be appreciated that the capture module 122 may also
be used in conjunction with the scanning module to read symbology
associated with an article of commerce. Here, the capture module
will acquire an image of the symbology and the scanning module will
further include a digital signal processor executing an algorithm
for deciphering or decoding the symbology from the capture image.
The use of an image sensor to read symbology, e.g., a barcode, is
known in the art and systems employing such technology is
commercially available from Symbol Technologies of New York.
[0030] The device 100 will also include an encryption module 126.
The encryption module 126 will use conventional code encryption
algorithms currently in use or that will be in use in the future
such as symmetric-key algorithms, e.g., DES, Triple-DES, Blowfish,
RC2, RC4, RC5, etc, and asymmetric-key algorithms, e.g.,
Diffie-Hellman, RSA, ElGamal, etc. to decrypt locked digital media
content files that are stored in the storage module 110. The
encryption module 126 may also encrypt payment information of a
user before the payment information is transmitted to another
device or server.
[0031] Furthermore, the device 100 will include a date and time
module 128. The date and time module 128 will use standard computer
chip processing technology widely in use, e.g., a crystal, or
alternatively, input from a GPS receiver to supply the date and
time.
[0032] In one embodiment, the device 100 according to the
principles of the present disclosure is embodied as a mobile phone
including the modules and architecture illustrated in FIG. 2. In
this embodiment, microphone 106 is further coupled to a
communication module 130 for encoding a user's speech to be
transmitted via antenna ANT using CDMA, PCS, GSM or any other known
wireless communication technology. The user will enter phone
numbers to be dialed via the touch screen, or alternatively, as is
known in the mobile phone art, the device 100 may include a full
QWERTY keyboard as an input module to enter text information. In
addition to producing audio from audio or multimedia content,
speaker 116 will be coupled to the antenna ANT and a decoder for
receiving and decoding voice communication from another mobile
phone.
[0033] It is to be appreciated that the communication module 130
may include a single integrated circuit chip to perform data
transfer and voice communications or a single module including a
separate data transfer chip, e.g., a WiFi transceiver, and a
separate voice communication chip, e.g., a CDMA chip. In one
embodiment, the communication module will operate on the wireless
GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) data protocol or a 3G protocol
such as W-CDMA, CDMA2000 and TD-SCDMA. Both the GPRS and 3G
protocols have the ability to carry both voice and data over the
same service.
[0034] It is to be appreciated that the device 100 described above
is an exemplary device and may include all or a portion of the
modules described above. Furthermore, it is to be appreciated that
existing mobile devices, e.g., mobile phones, digital media
playback device, may be used in accordance with the principles of
the system and method of the present disclosure described
below.
[0035] A system and method for identifying an article of commerce
and delivering media content related to the article to a user over
a network will be described in relation to FIGS. 3 and 4. Referring
to FIG. 3, a system in accordance with the present disclosure is
illustrated. The system includes a mobile device 100 as described
above. The device 100 will communicate to a server 304 via a
communication network 302. The device 100 and server 304 may be
connected to the communications network 302, e.g., the Internet, by
any known means, for example, a hardwired or wireless connection
308, such as dial-up, hardwired, cable, DSL, satellite, cellular,
PCS, wireless transmission (e.g., 802.11a/b/g), etc. It is to be
appreciated that the network 302 may be a local area network (LAN),
wide area network (WAN), the Internet or any known network that
couples a plurality of computers to enable various modes of
communication via network messages. Furthermore, the server 304
will communicate using the various known protocols such as
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), File
Transfer Protocol (FTP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.
and secure protocols such as Internet Protocol Security Protocol
(IPSec), Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), Secure Sockets
Layer (SSL) Protocol, etc. The server 304 will further include a
storage medium 306 for storing a database which links articles of
commerce to various type of digital content, the details of which
will be described in detail below.
[0036] Initially, in step 402, a user will identify an article of
commerce and acquire an identification code from the article using
a mobile device 100. The article of commerce could take many forms
including but not limited to a book, a video or audio DVD, an audio
CD, an electronic game, etc. As will be appreciated from the
description below the identification code may take many forms such
as a barcode number, a UPC number, a alphanumeric number assigned
to the article of commerce, a name of the article, e.g., Batman
Begins DVD, etc. The present disclosure may use any one or any
combination of identification codes to determine if related content
if available, for example, if a user identifies the article by
name, the name will be used in a search engine to determine an
associated alphanumeric code which will then be used to locate a
record to determine if any related content is available for the
identified article.
[0037] The user will utilize the portable digital device 100 to
identify the article of commerce. For example, if the article of
commerce 310 includes a barcode 312, the device 100 will scan the
barcode 312 with the scanning module 124 and decode the barcode to
acquire an identification code of the article. Alternatively, the
device 100 will capture an image of the barcode using the capture
module 122 and decode the barcode to acquire an identification code
of the article. Furthermore, the user can also take a picture of
the article of commerce via the capture module 122. Then using
standard and existing computer processing power and software
solutions such as Attrasoft Image recognition software, or optical
character recognition software (OCR software such as OmniPage or
ReadIris) the image or name of the article of commerce is decoded
and the identity of the article of commerce is resolved.
[0038] In another embodiment, the user will enter the
identification code of the article via a user interface including
input module 106. If the device contains a user interface allowing
user keyboard input, the user will input the name of the article
into the portable device. The user may also speak the name of the
article of commerce into the portable device via the microphone 114
which in turn will process the spoken name into digital form via
speech recognition software.
[0039] In a further embodiment, the articles of commerce will
contain Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. The portable
digital device 100 will contain an RFID reader and the identity of
the article of commerce will be resolved.
[0040] In another embodiment, the name or identification code of at
least one article of commerce will be broadcast via a WiFi wireless
access point 314 over a predetermined range. The device will
receive this transmission via transmission module 112 and will
present a listing of content to the user via the display module
104. The user may then select an article of interest. An example of
this embodiment would be in a retail store, e.g., a movie rental
store, where a list of new movie releases is continuously broadcast
in the store via a wireless access point coupled to a server or
terminal 316 in the store. This list would only be available when
within the confines of the store. The device would present this
list to the user and the user may select a movie of interest
wherein the identification code for the movie, i.e., the article of
commerce, would be identified via the terminal 316.
[0041] Furthermore, the name or identification code of an article
of commerce may be broadcast from another mobile device, e.g., a
gaming device 318. Here, a user approaches a second user having a
gaming device 318 having at least one electronic game either stored
in memory or currently being played. The gaming device 318 will
broadcast the identification code of the at least one game, or
alternatively, the second user may initiate the identification code
being transferred, e.g., via an infrared port, to the first
user.
[0042] Once the article of commerce is identified, the portable
device 100 will use communications protocols including but not
limited to WiFi (a, b, c d, n, x), mobile phone communications such
as GSM, CDMA, FOMA, etc., infrared communications, cabled
communications, Bluetooth communications, satellite communications,
to transmit the identification code to a remote server on the
global computer network (GCN), e.g., the Internet (step 404). It is
to be appreciated the device 100 may use any one or a combination
protocols to transmit the identification code to the server 304.
For example, the device 100 may employ a telecommunication protocol
to transmit the identification code via the communication module
140. In another embodiment, the device 100 may communicate to the
server 304 via the same wireless access point 314 that broadcast
the list of available content, e.g., a hot spot in a retail
location.
[0043] In step 404, the device 100 will also transmit information
identifying the user submitting the request. Furthermore, the
device 100 will transmit a device type identification code to the
server so the server may determine available content compatible
with the device, e.g., ring tones for a mobile phone.
[0044] The server 304 may be maintained by a vendor associated with
the article of commerce. For example, in the case of identifying a
Warner Brothers.TM. DVD movie, the server may be a Warner Brothers
server connected to a Warner Brothers website. However, the server
may also be a vendor not associated or even competing with the
article of commerce. For example, if the article of commerce is a
Warner Brothers.TM. DVD movie, the server may be an e-commerce site
such as Amazon.com that offers DVD movies from many companies
including Warmer Brothers.
[0045] In step 406, the server 304 will then use standard computer
processing power and standard database look up software (e.g.,
Microsoft.TM. Access or Oracles.TM. Database software) to see if it
has information on the article of commerce in its database 306.
Such information will include but not be limited to what the
article of contains (including chapters, episodes, songs, ring
tones, etc.), and whether full or partial digital content is
available for download for the identified article of commerce and,
if available, the location of the content. In one embodiment, the
server will select available content based on the device type
identification code. For example, if the device type identification
code indicates a mobile phone, the server will determine if ring
tones are available. If the device type identification code
indicates a mp3 player, the server will determine if audio content
is available. Further, the server will also identify the user
requesting the information on the article of commerce and what the
user's preferences and device locations are for downloading the
selected content, as well as any existing e-commerce information on
the requested user such as stored credit card and address
information.
[0046] The server 304 will then use standard communications
protocols described above to transmit or download the determined
information, e.g., a list of available content, back to the
portable digital device (step 408). This information will appear on
the display of the portable digital device, although in another
embodiment, this information may also be given to the user by audio
via speaker 116 by utilizing a text-to-speech software program. The
user will now be informed, i.e., by the server, what content or
parts of content for the selected article of commerce is available
for download e.g., either to purchase or preview. The user will
also be informed of the price of this download. Optionally, the
user will be informed where the download will be sent to using the
information the user has previously supplied the server, e.g., a
home computer of the user which is coupled to the network 302.
[0047] If the user wants to purchase any of the available content,
the user will now use the user interface of the portable digital
device including but not limited to character input, or voice input
to enter his selection and make the purchase (step 410).
Optionally, the user may also select a location for receiving the
content other than the mobile device 100, e.g., a computer, a
second mobile device, etc. (step 412). This information, e.g.,
location information, credit card information, etc., will be
inputted into the portable digital device via the user interface
and will then be transmitted to the server. The server will use
standard computer processing power and e-commerce software to
approve the transaction (step 414). Once (and if) the transaction
is approved, the server will transmit the digital content to the
address that the user has provided, e.g., the mobile device, a
mobile phone, a local personal computer, etc. In another
embodiment, the server 304 may not have stored the digital content,
but it may cause another site or server on the global computer
network where the subject digital content is stored, to transmit
the content to the user at the address provided.
[0048] In another embodiment, the user will select the desired
content and download the content to preview the content before
conducting a purchase transaction. The preview of the content may
be a portion of the content that will be downloaded to the device
specified by the user. After previewing the device, the user may
purchase the complete content via a standard e-commerce
transaction. Alternatively, the complete content will be
transmitted to the user for preview. In this embodiment, the
content may be enable for a predetermined period time so the user
can preview the content where when the predetermined period of time
expires, the user will either purchase the content or the content
will be disabled. Alternatively, a portion of the complete content
may be enabled to be view by a user where the user will purchase a
key for example to enable the complete content selection.
[0049] Once the content is transmitted to the portable digital
device (or in some cases to the user's home computer), the content
will be stored in the memory of the device. The user may call this
content from memory at any time and using standard computer
processing power and software application programs such as
Apple's.TM. iTunes, Microsoft's.TM. Media Player, text reader
programs, music ring tone playback programs, etc., the content can
be utilized.
[0050] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the user
may use one device to identify the article of commerce, and to
transmit the identification code of the article to the remote
server. This same device will also be used to implement the
e-commerce transaction that allows the user to purchase the
selected content. However, in this embodiment the server, or
affiliated servers, will transmit the selected content to a second
device, e.g., another portable digital device for use by the user,
a home personal computer, a personal computer of a friend, etc.
[0051] In another embodiment, after the user has selected at least
one of the available content (step 410), the selection will be
transmitted to the server and the server will retrieve a purchase
price or transaction amount from a plurality of different vendors
or distributors of the at least one content. The information from
the plurality of vendors will be complied into a list to be
transferred to the device. At the device, the list will be
presented to the user so the user may conduct comparison shopping
of the at least one available content at a point of purchase, e.g.,
a retail location.
[0052] In utilizing the principles of the present disclosure, a
user will be able to accomplish the various applications described
below where content is identified and delivered to a device:
Music Content to Ring Tones
[0053] Conventional mobile telephones allow a user to select custom
ring tones to allow the user to hear a ring tone of their choice.
The user must scroll through a selection choice provided by the
service carrier and then downloads the digital ring tone files to
their telephone. The selection choice is limited and cumbersome to
the user, in that, the user has to scroll through many menus to
finally select his/her hopeful choice.
[0054] With the present disclosure, the user would be able to walk
into any retail establishment, or in fact into any location
(including a friends home, etc), that has digital content. The user
would then have the mobile phone identify the selected media
content (e.g., a music CD), transmit the identification code of the
content to a remote server and the server would tell the user if
any ring tones are available for the selected content. If ring
tones are available, the user could purchase the selected ring tone
or ring tones, and the user would then download this tone into his
mobile phone. This whole transaction could take place in several
minutes time as opposed to the current system of endlessly looking
through menus and submenus for the ring tone that the supplier
offers.
Games to Portable Game Player Devices
[0055] Using the system and method described herein the user would
be able to walk into any retail establishment or, in fact, into any
location (including a friends home etc) that has digital content,
e.g., a game. The user would then use the user interface on the
applicable digital device such as the Sony.TM. PSP to identify the
selected media content, e.g., enter a name of the game, pickup the
identification code wirelessly via its WiFi capability via a
broadcast access point or directly from another gaming device, etc.
The device will then transmit the identification code of the
content to a remote server and the server would inform the user if
the game content of the selected game is available for the selected
content. If the content is available, the user could purchase the
selected game, and the user would then download this game into his
digital device. This whole transaction could take place in several
minutes time. If the selected article of commerce contained
multiple games, the user could select just one or more of the games
as opposed to the whole content.
[0056] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the user
could use one portable digital device, such as a mobile phone
(perhaps with an integrated CCD device) to identify the article of
commerce, use this same device to purchase the selected digital
content, and then direct the digital content to be downloaded on
another portable media device, e.g., a gaming device, or even to
have the content downloaded on the user's desktop computer.
Text to Portable Digital Text Reader
[0057] Using the system and method described herein, the user would
be able to walk into any location that has digital content in this
case text content (such as a book or a magazine.) The user would
then use the user interface on the applicable digital device such
as the HP Windows CE lpaq H6325 (which includes an integrated
camera and a cellular phone) to identify the selected media
content, transmit the identification code of the content to a
remote server and the server will inform the user if content of the
book or magazine is available. If the content is available, the
user could purchase the selected content, and the user would then
download this content into this digital device. This whole
transaction could take place in several minutes time. If the
selected article of commerce contained articles, chapters, etc. of
the selected printed material, the user could select just one or
more of the articles, chapters, etc. as opposed to the whole
content.
[0058] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the user
could use one portable digital device, such as a mobile phone
(perhaps with an integrated CCD device) to identify the article of
commerce, and then use this same device to purchase the selected
digital content, and then direct the digital content to be
downloaded on another portable media device, or even to have the
content downloaded on the user's desktop computer. Of course, once
the content is downloaded the user can utilize the content by
employing any number of text reader applications specific to the
digital device that the user has downloaded the content to.
Audio or Video Content to Portable Digital Player
[0059] Using the system and method described herein, the user would
be able to walk into any retail location (or any other location)
that has digital audio or video content such as a music DVD, music
CD, audio book or a DVD of a film or television show, etc. The user
would then use the user interface on the applicable digital device
such as the Archos PMA430 from Archos of Irvine, Calif. (which
includes integrated WiFi) to identify the selected media content
e.g., enter a name of the content, pickup the identification code
wirelessly via its WiFi capability via a broadcast access point or
directly from another media playing device, etc., The device will
then transmit the identification code of the content to a remote
server, and the server would inform the user if the content of the
music or film DVD is available. If the content is available, the
user could purchase the selected content, and the user would then
download this content into this digital device. This whole
transaction could take place in several minutes time. If the
selected article of commerce contained multiple songs as is the
case with a music CD/DVD or episodes as is the case with many
television/movies DVDs, the user could select just one or more of
these songs or episodes as opposed to the entire content.
[0060] In another embodiment of this invention, the user could use
one portable digital device, such as a mobile phone (perhaps with
an integrated CCD device) to identify the article of commerce, and
then use this same device to purchase the selected digital content,
and then direct the digital content to be downloaded on another
portable media device, or even to have the content downloaded on
the user's desktop computer. Of course, once the content is
downloaded the user can play the content by using any number of
media player software applications such as iTunes from Apple
Computers, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. or Microsoft Media Player from
Microsoft of Redmond, Wash.
[0061] The system and method of the present disclosure will provide
a user with not only instant delivery, but a seamless way of
obtaining content (as opposed to manually loading the content), and
in many cases, a better economic model to obtain the content. The
latter statement is supported because the present disclosure allows
the user to compare the price of the content at the source (for
example, a retail store) versus the price to instantly receive the
content from an Internet source or sources. Further, the user may
custom select the content that he desires and, instead of obtaining
all content, he may decide to purchase less of the content (i.e., a
portion or subset of the content) therefore customizing his
selection, and reducing his/her price for the content.
[0062] While the disclosure has been shown and described with
reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form
and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
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